- History of astrology
The history of Astrology encompasses a great span of human history and many cultures. The belief in a connection between the cosmos and terrestrial matters has also played an important part in human history. See also the main article on
astrology .Overview
There are three main branches of astrology today, namely
Western astrology , Indian or Jyotish astrology, and Chinese or East Asian astrology. The study of Western astrology and the belief in it, as part of astronomy, is first found in a developed form among the ancientBabylonians ; and directly or indirectly through the Babylonians, it spread to other nations. It came toGreece about the middle of the 4th century B.C., reachedRome before the advent of theChristian era , andIndia with the HellenisticIndo-Greek kingdom s.With the introduction of Greek culture into Egypt, both astronomy and astrology were actively cultivated in the region of the
Nile during theHellenistic and Roman periods. Astrology was further developed by the Arabs from the 7th to the13th century , and in theEurope of the 14th and 15th centuries astrologers were dominating influences at court. The Mayans ofCentral America and the Aztecs also developed their own form of astrology. Othercultures andcivilizations around theworld also developed their own astrological systems independently.The terms
astrology and astronomy have long been closely related. AnAstrologer is an interpreter of celestial phenomena, while anAstronomer is a predictor of celestial phenomena. Astrology itself can be divided into two camps, comprised of "natural astrologers" (i.e. astronomers) who study the motions of the heavenly bodies, timing ofeclipse s, etc. "Judicial astrologers" study the supposed correlations between the positions of various celestial objects and the affairs of human beings.Astrology in the Middle East and Europe
The history of astrology in Europe and the Middle East are inextricably linked, with each region contributing to astrologial theories and continually influencing each other over time. Bouché-Leclercq, Cumont and Boll hold that the middle of the 4th century B.C. is when Babylonian astrology began to firmly enter western culture.
This spread of astrology was concomitant with the rise of a genuine scientific phase of
astronomy in Babylonia itself. This may have weakened to some extent the hold that astrology had on the priests and the people. Another factor leading to the decline of the old faith in the Euphrates Valley may have been the advent of thePersians , who brought with them areligion which differed markedly from the Babylonian-Assyrianpolytheism (seeZoroastrianism ).The spread of
astrology beyondBabylonia is thus concomitant with the rise of a truly scientificastronomy in Babylonia itself, which in turn is due to the intellectual impulse afforded by the contact with new forms of culture from both the East and the West. In the hands of theGreeks and of the Egyptians bothastrology andastronomy were carried far beyond the limits attained by theBabylonians .Babylonia
The history of astrology can now be traced back to ancient
Babylonia , and indeed to the earliest phases of Babylonian history, in the third millennium B.C.In Babylonia as well as in
Assyria as a direct offshoot of Sumerian culture (or in general the "Mesopotamian" culture),astrology takes its place in theofficial cult as one of the two chief means at the disposal of thepriests (who were called "bare" or "inspectors") for ascertaining the will and intention of the gods, the other being through the inspection of theliver of the sacrificial animal (seeomen ).The earliest extant
Babylonian astrology text is the "Enuma Anu Enlil " (literally meaning "When the gods Anu and Enlil..."), dating back to 1600 B.C. This text describes various astronomical omens and their application to national and political affairs. For example, a segment of the text says: "If in Nisannu the sunrise appears sprinkled with blood, battles [follow] ." Nisannu is the Babylonian month corresponding to March/April in the Western calendar.Theory of Divine government
Just as the sacrificial method of
divination rested on a well-defined theory - to wit, that the liver was the seat of thesoul of the animal and that the deity in accepting thesacrifice identified himself with the animal, whose "soul" was thus placed in complete accord with that of the god and therefore reflected the mind and will of the god - so astrology is sometimes purported to be based on a theory of divine government of the world.Starting with the indisputable fact that man's life and happiness are largely dependent upon phenomena in the heavens, that the fertility of the soil is dependent upon the sun shining in the heavens as well as upon the rains that come from heaven; and that, on the other hand, the mischief and damage done by storms and floods (both of which the Euphratean Valley was almost regularly subject to), were to be traced likewise to the heavens - the conclusion was drawn that all the great gods had their seats in the heavens.
In that early age of culture known as the "
nomadic " stage, which under normal conditions precedes the "agricultural " stage, the moon cult is even more prominent than sun worship, and with the moon and sun cults thus furnished by the "popular" faith, it was a natural step for the priests, who correspond to the "scientists" of a later day, to perfect a theory of a complete accord between phenomena observed in the heavens and occurrences on earth.Gods and planets
Of the
planets five were recognized - Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury and Mars - to name them in the order in which they appear in the older cuneiform literature; in later texts Mercury and Saturn change places.These five planets were identified with the gods of the
Babylonian pantheon as follows:* Jupiter with
Marduk ;
* Venus with the goddessIshtar ,
* Saturn withNinurta (Ninib),
* Mercury withNabu (Nebo),
* and Mars withNergal .The movements of the
sun ,moon and fiveplanets were regarded as representing the activity of the fivegods in question, together with the moon-god Sin and the sun-godShamash , in preparing the occurrences on earth.If, therefore, one could correctly read and interpret the activity of these powers, one knew what the gods were aiming to bring about.The influence of Babylonian planetary lore appears also in the assignment of the
days of the week to the planets, for example Sunday, assigned to the sun, and Saturday, the day of Saturn.ystem of interpretation
The
Babylonian priests accordingly applied themselves to the task of perfecting a system of interpretation of the phenomena to be observed in theheavens , and it was natural that the system was extended from themoon ,sun and fiveplanets to the more prominent and recognizable fixedstars .The interpretations themselves were based (as in thecase of
divination through the liver) chiefly on twofactors:* On the recollection or on written records of what in the past had taken place when the phenomenon or phenomena in question had been observed, and
* Association of ideas - involving sometimes merely a play upon words - in connection with the phenomenon or phenomena observed.Thus, if on a certain occasion, the rise of the new moon in a cloudy sky was followed by victory over an enemy or by abundant rain, the sign in question was thus proved to be a favourable one and its recurrence would thenceforth be regarded as a
omen for good fortune of some kind to follow. On the other hand, the appearance of the new moon earlier than was expected was regarded as unfavourable, as it was believed that anything appearing prematurely suggested an unfavourable occurrence.In this way a mass of traditional interpretation of all kinds of observed phenomena was gathered, and once gathered became a guide to the priests for all times.
Limitations of early knowledge
Astrology in its earliest stage was marked by three characteristics:
* In the "first" place, In
Babylonia andAssyria the interpretation of the movements and position of the heavenly bodies were centred largely and indeed almost exclusively in the public welfare and the person of the king, because upon his well-being and favour with the gods the fortunes of the country were dependent. The ordinary individual's interests were not in any way involved, and many centuries had to pass beyond the confines ofBabylonia andAssyria before that phase is reached, which in medieval and modern astrology is almost exclusively dwelt upon - the individualhoroscope .* In the "second" place, the astronomical knowledge presupposed and accompanying early Babylonian astrology was, though essentially of an empirical character, limited and flawed. The theory of the
ecliptic as representing the course of thesun through theyear , divided among twelveconstellation s with a measurement of 30° to each division, is of Babylonian origin, as has now been definitely proved; but it does not appear to have been perfected until after the fall of the Babylonian empire in 539 B.C. The defectiveness of earlyBabylonian astronomy may be gathered from the fact that as late as the 6th century B.C. an error of almost an entire month was made by the Babylonian astronomers in the attempt to determine through calculation the beginning of a certain year. For a long time the rise of any serious study ofastronomy did not go beyond what was needed for the purely practical purposes that thepriests as "inspectors" of the heavens (as they were also the "inspectors" of the sacrificial livers) had in mind.* In the "third" place, we have, probably as early as the days of
Khammurabi , i.e. c. 2000 B.C., the combinations of prominent groups ofstars with outlines of pictures fantastically put together, but there is no evidence that prior to 700 B.C. more than a number of the constellations of ourzodiac had become part of the currentastronomy .Hellenistic astrology
After the occupation by Alexander the Great in 332BC, Egypt came under Greek rule and influence, and it was in Alexandrian Egypt where
horoscopic astrology first appeared. The endeavour to trace thehoroscope of the individual from the position of the planets and stars at the time of birth represents the most significant contribution of the Greeks to astrology. This system can be labeled as "horoscopic astrology" because it employed the use of the ascendant, otherwise known as the "horoskopos" in Greek. Although developed under Hellenistic rule, it was in large measure derived from the teachings of theBabylonian s and the Egyptians.The system was carried to such a degree of perfection that later ages made but few additions of an essential character to the genethlialogy or drawing up of the individual
horoscope by the Greek astrologers. Particularly important in the development of horoscopic astrology was the astrologer and astronomer Ptolemy , whose work, the "Tetrabiblos" laid the basis of the Western astrological tradition. Under the Greeks and Ptolemy in particular, the planets, Houses, and Signs of the zodiac were rationalized and their function set down in a way that has changed little to the present day. [ Derek and Julia Parker, Ibid, p16, 1990 ] Ptolemy's work on astronomy was also the basis of Western teachings on the subject for the next 1,300 years.To the Greek astronomer
Hipparchus belongs the credit of the discovery (c. 130 B.C.) of the theory of theprecession of the equinoxes , for a knowledge of which among the Babylonians we find no definite proof; but such a single advancement in pure science did not prevent the Greeks from developing in a most elaborate manner the theory of the influence of the planets upon the fate of the individual.Babylonia or Chaldea was so identified with astrology that "Chaldaean wisdom" became among
Greeks and Romans the synonym ofdivination through theplanets andstars , and it is perhaps not surprising that in the course of time to be known as a "Chaldaean" carried with it frequently the suspicion of charlatanry and of more or less willful deception.Astrology in Egypt developed under the Ptolemies after the conquest of Egypt by
Alexander the Great .Astrology and the sciences
Partly in further development of views unfolded in
Babylonia , but chiefly under Greek influences, the scope ofastrology was enlarged until it was brought into connection with practically all of the knownscience s:botany ,chemistry ,zoology ,mineralogy ,anatomy andmedicine . Colours,metals , stones,plants , drugs andanimal life of all kinds were each associated with one or another of theplanets and placed under their rulership.By this curious process of combination, the entire realm of the
natural sciences was translated into the language ofastrology with the single avowed purpose of seeing in all phenomena signs indicative of what the future had in store.The fate of the
individual , as that feature of the future which had a supreme interest, led to the association of theplanets with different parts of thebody and so with medicine . Here, too, we find various systems devised, in part representing the views of different schools, in part reflecting advancing conceptions regarding the functions of the organs in man and animals.From the planets the same association of ideas was applied to the constellations of the
zodiac . Thezodiac came to be regarded as the prototype of thehuman body , the different parts of which all had their corresponding section in the zodiac itself. The head was placed in the first sign of the zodiac, Aries, the Ram; and the feet in the last sign, Pisces, the Fishes. Between these two extremes the other parts and organs of the body were distributed among the remaining signs of the zodiac. In later phases of astrology the signs of the zodiac are sometimes placed on a par with the planets themselves, so far as their importance for the individualhoroscope is concerned.With
human anatomy thus connected with the planets, with constellations, and with single stars, medicine became an integral part of astrology. Diseases and disturbances of the ordinary functions of the organs were attributed to the influences of planets and explained as due to conditions observed in a constellation or in the position of a star.Arab and Persian Astrology
The system was taken up almost in its entirety by the
Arab astrologers. From their great centres of learning in Damascus and Baghdad they revived the learning of the ancient Greeks in astronomy, astrology, mathematics and medicine which Europe had forgotten and developed it immensely. Their knowledge was then imported into Europe, during and after theLatin translations of the 12th century , helping to start theRenaissance . Albumasur was the greatest of the Arab astrologers, whose work 'Introductorium in Astronomiam' was later highly influential in Europe. Also important wasAl Khwarizmi , the Persian mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and geographer, who is considered to be the father ofalgebra and thealgorithm . The Arabs greatly increased the knowledge of astronomy, naming many of the stars for the first time, such as Aldebaran, Altair, Betelgeuse, Rigel and Vega. In astrology they discovered a system still known asArabic parts , which accorded a significance to the difference or "part" between the ascendant and each planet. The Arabs were also the first to speak of favourable and unfavourable indications in astrology, instead of categorical events fated to happen.The first semantic distinction between
astrology and astronomy was given by the Persian Muslim astronomer Abu Rayhan al-Biruni in the 11th century, [S. Pines (September 1964), "The Semantic Distinction between the Terms Astronomy and Astrology according to al-Biruni", "Isis" 55 (3): 343-349] and he later refuted astrology in another treatise. The study of astrology was also refuted by other medieval Muslim astronomers such asAl-Farabi (Alpharabius),Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen),Avicenna andAverroes . Their reasons for refuting astrology were often due to both scientific (the methods used by astrologers beingconjectural rather thanempirical ) and religious (conflicts with orthodox Islamic scholars) reasons. [Harvard reference |last=Saliba |first=George |authorlink=George Saliba |year=1994b |title=A History of Arabic Astronomy: Planetary Theories During the Golden Age of Islam |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=0814780237 |pages=60 & 67-69]Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya (1292-1350), in his "Miftah Dar al-SaCadah", usedempirical arguments in astronomy in order to refute the practice of astrology anddivination . [citation|title=Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah: A Fourteenth Century Defense against Astrological Divination and Alchemical Transmutation|first=John W.|last=Livingston|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=91|issue=1|date=1971|pages=96-103] He recognized that thestar s are much larger than theplanet s, and thus argued:citation|title=Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah: A Fourteenth Century Defense against Astrological Divination and Alchemical Transmutation|first=John W.|last=Livingston|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=91|issue=1|date=1971|pages=96-103 [99] ]Al-Jawziyya also recognized the
Milky Way galaxy as "a myriad of tiny stars packed together in the sphere of the fixed stars" and thus argued that "it is certainly impossible to have knowledge of their influences."Astrology in Medieval and Renaissance Europe
Astrology became embodied in the Kabbalistic lore of
Jew s andChristian s, [ [http://www.freeread.com/archives/short_subjects.php#astrology_bible Astrology and The Bible] ] and through these and other channels came to be the substance of theastrology of theMiddle Ages . In time this would lead to Church prelates and Protestant princes using the services of astrologers. This system was referred to as "judicial astrology", and its practitioners believed that the position of heavenly bodies influenced the affairs of mankind. It is now usually regarded as a pseudo-science. At the time, however, it was placed on a similar footing of equality and esteem with "natural astrology", the latter name for the study of the motions and phenomena of the heavenly bodies and their effect on the weather. [ [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02018e.htm Article on astrology from the Catholic Encyclopaedia, 1907 edition] ]During the
Middle Ages astrologers were called "mathematici". Historically the term "mathematicus " [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/colloquia0405.html Galileo, Astrology and the Scientific Revolution: Another Look] [cite web |title = Stemmed search for "mathematicus" |work = Ultralingua Online Dictionary |publisher = Ultralingua |url = http://www.ultralingua.net/index.html?action=define&nv=0&text=mathematicus&service=&searchtype=stemmed&service=latin2english
accessdate = 2007-03-23] [http://members.aol.com/jeff570/m.html Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics] was used to denote a person proficient in astrology, astronomy, and mathematics. Inasmuch as some practice ofmedicine was based to some extent on astrology,physician s learned somemathematics and astrology.In the
XIII century ,Johannes de Sacrobosco (c. 1195 - 1256) andGuido Bonatti fromForlì (Italy ) were the most famous astronomers and astrologers inGreat Britain (the first) and inEurope (the second): the book "Liber Astronomicus" by Bonatti was reputed "the most important astrological work produced in Latin in the13th century " (Lynn Thorndike ).Jerome Cardan (1501-1576) hatedMartin Luther , and so changed his birthday in order to give him an unfavourablehoroscope . In Cardan's times, as in those ofAugustus , it was a common practice for men to conceal the day and hour of their birth, till, like Augustus, they found a complaisant astrologer.During the Renaissance, a form of "scientific astrology" evolved in which court astrologers would compliment their use of horoscopes with genuine discoveries about the nature of the universe. Many individuals now credited with having overturned the old astrological order, such as
Galileo Galilei ,Tycho Brahe andJohannes Kepler , were themselves practising astrologers.But, as a general rule,
medieval andRenaissance astrologers did not give themselves the trouble of reading the stars, but contented themselves with telling fortunes by faces. They practised chiromancy (also known aspalmistry ), and relied on afterwards drawing a horoscope to suit.As physiognomists (see
physiognomy ) their talent was undoubted, and according toLucilio Vanini there was no need to mount to the house-top to cast a nativity. "Yes," he says, "I can read his face; by his hair and his forehead it is easy to guess that the sun at his birth was in the sign of Libra and near Venus. Nay, his complexion shows that Venus touches Libra. By the rules of astrology he could not lie."Astrology in India
The term "IAST|jyotiṣa" in the sense of one of the
Vedanga , the six auxiliary disciplines of Vedic religion, is used in theMundaka Upanishad and thus likely dates to Mauryan times. The "Vedanga Jyotisha " redacted by Lagadha dates to theMauryan period , with rules for tracking the motions of the sun and the moon.The documented history of Jyotisha begins with the interaction of Indian and
Hellenistic cultures in theIndo-Greek period. The oldest surviving treatises, such as theYavanajataka or theBrihat-Samhita , date to the early centuries CE. The oldest astrological treatise inSanskrit is the "Yavanajataka " ("Sayings of the Greeks"), a versification bySphujidhvaja in 269/270 CE of a now lost translation of a Greek treatise byYavanesvara during the 2nd century CE under the patronage of theWestern Satrap Saka kingRudradaman I . [Mc Evilley "The shape of ancient thought", p385 ("The Yavanajataka is the earliest surviving Sanskrit text in horoscopy, and constitute the basis of all later Indian developments in horoscopy", himself quoting David Pingree "The Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja" p5)]The first named authors writing treatises on astronomy are from the 5th century CE, the date when the classical period of Indian astronomy can be said to begin. Besides the theories of
Aryabhata in the "Aryabhatiya " and the lost "Arya-siddhānta", there is the "Pancha-Siddhāntika " ofVarahamihira .Astrology in China and East Asia
The tradition usually called 'Chinese Astrology', by Westerners is in fact not only used by the Chinese, but has a long history in other East Asian countries such as Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Chinese Astrology
Astrology is believed to have originated in China about the 3rd millennium BC. Astrology was always traditionally regarded very highly in China, and indeed Confucius is said to have treated astrology with respect saying: "Heaven sends down its good or evil symbols and wise men act accordingly". [ Derek and Julia Parker, Ibid 1991] The 60 year cycle combining the five elements with the twelve animal signs of the zodiac has been documented in China since at least the time of the Shang (Shing or Yin) dynasty (ca 1766BC - CA 1050BC). Oracles bones have been found dating from that period with the date according to the 60 year cycle inscribed on them, along with the name of the diviner and the topic being divined about. One of the most famous astrologers in China was
Tsou Yen who lived in around 300 BC, and who wrote: "When some new dynasty is going to arise, heaven exhibits auspicious signs for the people". Astrology in China also became combined with the Chinese form of geomancy known asFeng shui .Astrology in MesoAmerica
The calenders of Pre-Columbian MesoAmerica are based upon a system which had been in common use throughout the region, dating back to at least the
6th century BCE . The earliest calendars were employed by peoples such as the Zapotecs andOlmec s, and later by such peoples as the Maya ,Mixtec and Aztecs. Although the Mesoamerican calendar did not originate with the Maya, their subsequent extensions and refinements to it were the most sophisticated. Along with those of the Aztecs, the Maya calendars are the best-documented and most completely understood.Mayan Astrology
The distinctive Mayan calendar and Mayan astrology have been in use in Meso-America from at least the 6th Century BCE. There were two main calendars, one plotting the solar year of 365 days, which governed the planting of crops and other domestic matters; the other called the
Tzolkin of 260 days, which governed ritual use. Each was linked to an elaborate astrological system to cover every facet of life. On the fifth day after the birth of a boy, the Mayan astrologer-priests would cast his horoscope to see what his profession was to be: soldier, priest, civil servant or sacrificial victim. [ Parker and Parker Ibid, 1971] A 584 dayVenus cycle was also maintained, which tracked the appearance and conjunctions of Venus. Venus was seen as a generally inauspicious and baleful influence, and Mayan rulers often planned the beginning of warfare to coincide with when Venus rose. There is evidence that the Maya also tracked the movements of Mercury, Mars and Jupiter, and possessed a zodiac of some kind. The Mayan name for the constellation Scorpio was also 'scorpion', while the name of the constellation Gemini was 'peccary'. There is evidence for other constellations being named after various beasts, but it remains unclear. [ Michael D. Coe, 'The Maya', pp227 - 229, Thames and Hudson, London, 2005 ] The most famous Mayan astrological observatory still intact is the Caracol observatory in the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in modern day Mexico.Aztec Astrology
The Aztec calendar shares the same basic structure as the Mayan calendar, with two main cycles of 365 days and 260 days. The 260 day calendar was called
Tonalpohualli by the Aztecs, and was used primarily for divinatory purposes. Like the Mayan calendar, these two cycles formed a 52 year 'century', sometimes called theCalendar Round .Astrology in the 20th century
Astrology in the United States
In the United States, a great surge of popular interest in astrology took place between
1900 through1949 . A very popular astrologer based in New York City namedEvangeline Adams helped feed the public's thirst for astrology readings with many accurate forecasts, her biographers say. A famous court case involving Adams, who was arrested and charged with illegal fortune-telling in1914 - was later dismissed when Adams correctly read the horoscope of the judge's son with only a birthdate. Her acquittal set an American precedent that if astrologers practiced in a professional manner that they were not guilty of any wrong-doing.The hunger for astrology in the earliest years of the 20th century by such astrologers as
Alan Leo ,Sepharial (also known as Walter Gorn Old), "Paul Cheisnard" and Charles Carter, among others, further led the surge of interest in astrology by wide distribution of astrological journals, text, papers, and textbooks of astrology throughout the United States.The serious and complex writings on astrological practice and concepts in America progressed from the turn-of-the-century years and into a new period of popular expansion in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Many complex astrological materials were simplified to attempt to carve a clear line through points of contention and controversy. The result of this attempt was to "simplify astrology" in the minds of professionals and gave the impression of settled and agreed positions on many points that were not resolved.
The period between
1920 -1940 gave way to the popular media jumping on board the great public interest in astrology. Publishers realized that millions of readers were interested in astrological forecasts and the interest grew ever more intense with the advent of America's entry into theFirst World War . The war heightened interest in astrology. Journalists began to write articles based on character descriptions and astrological "forecasts" were published in newspapers based on the one and only factor known to the public: the month and day of birth, as taken from the position of theSun when a person is born. The result of this practice led to modern-day publishing of Sun-Sign astrology columns and expanded to some astrological books and magazines in later decades of the 20th century.Noted predictions
:"See also
Mundane astrology ,Horary astrology ,Electional astrology "Throughout history many astrologers have made predictions about the future course of world events, and these are often remarkable either for their fulfilment or for the ruin and confusion they brought upon their authors.
A favourite topic of the astrologers of all countries hasbeen the immediate end of the world. As early as
1186 the Earth had escaped one threatened cataclysm of the astrologers.This did not prevent
Stöffler from predicting a universal deluge for the year1524 - a year, as it turned out, distinguished for drought. His aspect of the heavens told him that in that year three planets would meet in the aqueous sign of Pisces. The prediction was believed far and wide, and President Aurial, atToulouse , built himself aNoah's ark - a curious realization, in fact, ofChaucer 's merry invention in the "Miller's Tale".The most famous predictions about European and world affairs were made by the French astrologer
Nostradamus (1503 - 66). [ Derek and Julia Parker, Ibid, p201, 1990 ] Nostradamus became famous after the publication in 1555 of his work "Centuries" , which was a series of prophecies in cryptic verse. So obscure are the predictions that they have been interpreted as relating to a great variety of events since, including the French and English Revolutions, and the Second World War. In 1556 Nostradamus was summoned to the French court by Catherine de Medici and commissioned to draw up the horoscope of the royal children. Although Nostradamus later fell out of favour with many in the court and was accused of witchcraft, Catherine continued to support him and patronized him until his death.Historical figures and astrology
Throughout history many astrologers have made their mark, including such figures as
Ptolemy , Albumasur,Tsou Yen andNostradamus . In addition, many famous people over the centuries have expressed opinions either in favour or in opposition to astrology, and have either used it or refused to use it in their actions.Historical proponents of astrology
The influence of the
Medici made astrologers popular inFrance .Richelieu, on whose council was
Jacques Gaffarel (1601-1681), the last of theKabbalists , did not despise astrology as an engine of government.At the birth of Louis XIV a certain Morin de Villefranche was placed behind a curtain to cast the nativity of the future autocrat. A generation back the astrologer would not have been hidden behind a curtain, but have taken precedence over the doctor.
La Bruyère dares not pronounce against such beliefs, "for there are perplexing facts affirmed by grave men who were eye-witnesses."In England
William Lilly andRobert Fludd were both dressed in a little brief authority. The latter gives us elaborate rules for the detection of a thief, and tells us that he has had personal experience of their efficacy. "If the lord of the sixth house is found in the second house, or in company with the lord of the second house, the thief is one of the family. If Mercury is in the sign of the Scorpion he will be bald, &c."Francis Bacon abuses the astrologers of his day no less than the alchemists, but he does so because he has visions of a reformed astrology and a reformed alchemy.Sir Thomas Browne , too, while he denies the capacity of the astrologers of his day, does not venture to dispute the reality of the science. The idea of the souls of men passing at death to the stars, the blessedness of their particular sphere being assigned them according to their deserts (themetempsychosis of J. Reynaud), may be regarded as a survival of religious astrology, which, even as late asDescartes 's day, assigned to the angels the task of moving the planets and the stars.Joseph de Maistre believed incomets as messengers of divine justice, and in animated planets, and declared that divination by astrology is not an absolutely chimerical science.Kepler was cautious in his opinion; he spoke of astronomy as the wise mother, and astrology as the foolish daughter, but he added that the existence of the daughter was necessary to the life of the mother.
Kepler may have said this with the cynical meaning that the "foolish" work of astrology paid for the serious work of astronomy - as, at the time, the main motivation to fund advancements in astronomy was the desire for better, more accurate astrological predictions.
Historical opponents of astrology
Lastly, we may mention a few distinguished men who ran counter to their age in denying stellar influences.
Panaetius , Augustine,Martianus Capella (the precursor ofCopernicus ),Cicero ,Favorinus ,Sextus Empiricus , Juvenal, and in a later ageSavonarola andPico della Mirandola , andLa Fontaine , a contemporary of the neutralLa Bruyère , were all pronounced opponents of astrology.In the Hellenistic and Roman Empire eras, a number of notable philosophers and scientists, such as Diogenes of Babylon (Middle Stoic), Galen, and Pliny accepted some aspects of astrology while rejecting others. [http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/astr-hel.htm]
Cultural influence of astrology
To astrological
politics we owe the theory of heaven-sent rulers, instruments in the hands of Providence, and saviours ofsociety .Napoleon , as well asWallenstein , believed in his star. Many passages in the older English poets are unintelligible without some knowledge ofastrology .Chaucer wrote a treatise on theastrolabe ; Milton constantly refers to planetary influences; inShakespeare 's "King Lear ", Gloucester and Edmund represent respectively the old and the newfaith .We still "contemplate" and consider; we still speak of men as "jovial", "saturnine" or "mercurial"; we still talk of the "ascendancy" of
genius , or a "disastrous" defeat.In French "heur", "malheur", "heureux", "malheureux", are all derived from the
Latin "augurium"; the expression "né sous une mauvaise étoile", born under an evilstar , corresponds (with the change of"étoile" into "astre") to the word "malôtru", in Provençal "malastrue"; and "son étoile palit", his star grows pale, belongs to the same class of allusions.The Latin "ex augurio" appears in the Italian "sciagura", "sciagurato", softened into "sciaura", "sciaurato", wretchedness, wretched.
The influence of a particular planet has also left traces in various languages; but the French and English "jovial" and the English "saturnine" correspond to the gods who served as types in
chiromancy rather than to theplanets which bear the same names.In the case of the expressions "bien" or malluné, well or ill mooned, "avoir un quartier de lune dans la tetê", to have the quarter of the Moon in one's head, the German "mondsüchtig" and the English "moonstruck" or "
lunatic ", the fundamental idea lies in the strange opinions formerly (and in some cases, still) held about the Moon.Footnotes
Further reading
:"See also:
List of books about astrology "* T. Barton, "Ancient Astrology". Routledge, 1994. ISBN 0415110297.
* B. Bobrick, "The Fated Sky: Astrology in History". Simon & Schuster, 2006. ISBN 0743268954.
* Nicholas Campion, "The Dawn of Astrology: a Cultural History of Western Astrology Volume 1", Continuum,2008. ISBN 978-1-84725-214-2.
* N. Campion, "The Great Year: Astrology, Millenarianism, and History in the Western Tradition". Penguin, 1995. ISBN 0140192964.
* A. Geneva, "Astrology and The Seventeenth Century Mind: William Lilly and the Language of the Stars". Manchester Univ. Press, 1995. ISBN 0719041546.
* M. Hoskin, "The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy". Cambridge Univ. Press, 2003. ISBN 0521576008.
* L. MacNeice, "Astrology". Doubleday, 1964. ISBN 0385052456
* W. R. Newman, et al, "Secrets of Nature: Astrology and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe". MIT Press, 2006. ISBN 0262640627.
* G. Oestmann, et al, "Horoscopes and Public Spheres: Essays on the History of Astrology". Walter de Gruyter Pub., 2005. ISBN 3110185458.
* F. Rochberg, "The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture". Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004. ISBN 0521830109.
* J. Tester, "A History of Western Astrology". Ballantine Books, 1989. ISBN 0345358708.
* T. O. Wedel, "Astrology in the Middle Ages". Dover Pub., 2005. ISBN 048643642X.
* P. Whitfield, "Astrology: A History". British Library, 2004. ISBN 0712348395.
ee also
*
Astrology and astronomy
*History of astronomy
*Astrology and alchemy
*Jyotisha (Indian astrology )
*Astrology and computers
*History of astronomy
*Islamic astrology
*Jewish views of astrology
*Chinese astrology
*Zodiac External links
* [http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/astr-hel.htm Hellenistic Astrology] - An Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry outlining the development of Hellenistic astrology and its interaction with philosophical schools.
* [http://www.gryphonastrology.com/astrology.html History of Astrology] The history of astrology and major astrologers through the ages.
* [http://gfisher.org/ Marriage and Divorce of Astronomy and Astrology: History of Astral Prediction from Antiquity to Newton and Beyond by Gordon Fisher]
* [http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/babylon/babybibl.htm Bibliography of Mesopotamian Astronomy and Astrology]
* [http://www.robhand.com/histintr.htm Comprehensive survey of the history of astrology]
* [http://www.meta-religion.com/Esoterism/Astrology/history_of_astrology.htm Survey of History of Astrology] An in-depth survey of astrological history, by Julia & Derek Parker.Special thanks to
Distributed Proofreaders where the encyclopedia text was obtained.
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